


What Are Our Lives

by Merfilly



Category: Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/F, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2329673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small glimpse of life as Birds of Prey, and partners in all ways</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Are Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moontyger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moontyger/gifts).



> Playing a little loose with canon here. Set well before Spoiler became Robin, but using a slightly less dysfunctional Bat-Clan?

Dinah was on the phone as she came in from her night protecting Gotham. Barbara half-listened for a moment, doing her own checks on people that mattered to her.

"He's alright, and you said Damage stayed with him? Okay, are you sure I don't need to come? No? What about Lian… oh, Tempest and family are up. Okay, then. Tell him I expect a phone call. Give Troia a hug for reminding you to call me, alright? Thank you." Dinah sighed as she hit the end-call button.

"Arsenal got hurt?" Babs inquired, panning through the remote cameras. She was curious why it hadn't registered on her radar, and more curious that there hadn't been a request for someone to come babysit the Bludhaven from Nightwing.

"No, he's just sick," Dinah said as she began removing her outer gear. "Fever spiked pretty high and Troia cut off the argument about going to the hospital by pointing out Lian could catch it, then picking him up and flying him there. She had Starfire call me so I wouldn't be worried that his phone is turned off for now."

Babs nodded at that, then smiled as she spotted Batgirl had company in her cave. She prudently turned that camera to alert status only; the girls were still getting used to one another on certain issues. "Glad it's just sick, then. And she probably took him to St Vincent's, where the docs know our special needs for privacy." She could try and find the registration, but unless Dinah asked, there wasn't any need.

She turned her head toward the living area, just in time to see her partner working on getting out of the costume completely. "Shower's down the hall, you know," she teased. 

"Yes, but if I strip in here, you're less likely to ignore one for yourself and get lost in your cyber world again," Dinah answered her. She opened her mouth to say more, body language shifting toward sultry, when Barbara got a priority alert and Dinah's comm piece chirped at her.

"Has to be bad," was Oracle's reply, even as Black Canary started closing the costume up, one hand rising to touch the comm.

"Canary here," vied with "Oracle online," as the ladies postponed their personal lives.

"Gas leak, Arkham," came to them both in the Bat's gravelly voice.

"Will contact all back up allies, minus the younger crowd," Oracle said. 

"No, cancel that, O," Canary said. "Get them out in a perimeter, away from the Asylum itself but ready to handle crowd control if something's really off."

"Canary's plan is sound," Batman said before clicking out, knowing he would have the back up he needed if this was a new effort to break open their nightmares.

Oracle blew her partner a kiss, falling into work, as she savored the fact Batman approved of the plan her partner had thrown out on the fly. It was good to have others see just what an asset Oracle had on her team.

* * *

"Do you talk—" there was a pause during which Oracle could hear the violence her partner unleashed, "— dirty to all of us, or just me?" Canary asked as she moved deeper into sewer she was guarding for Batman.

"I tried with Huntress, to get past that whole she slept with my ex thing. She asked if I had been to confession," Oracle teased.

"She would," Canary said, laughing. "Hmm, these mooks look like a pair that work for the Penguin," she said, easily mixing personal and business. "I'd say someone bought him to stage this, or he needed a really big distraction."

Oracle took that information and correlated with what Nightwing had encountered on his side of the fight. "Former Boy Wonder agrees and is breaking off as soon as Batgirl and Spoiler can come hold that point down."

"I thought we were leaving the brat pack on the outskirts," Canary chided.

"No one is close enough, but I am moving someone to back them up. They should only be alone on point for six minutes."

Canary made a noise, half-agreeing with the logic, even as she worried. Arkham's inmates, even the more anonymous ones, could be damned dangerous.

"Batman is sending Robin to back up Nightwing, from a distance, at the Iceberg," Oracle advised Black Canary. "Otherwise, we're spread too thin, and there doesn't seem to be anything stirring outside the containment the rest of you are holding.

"Tell me it's the Kitty going to guard the girls, and I'll quit fretting. She knows Gotham's crooks better than anyone but Batman," Canary answered. Robin would be smart and cautious for Nightwing, she thought, but Spoiler could be impetuous, and that could get her and Batgirl hurt.

There was a long pause, and then, "Seven minutes unguarded, but yes, she agreed to go."

Canary relaxed. Seven minutes was a long time in their world, but Batgirl was arguably the best fighter of her generation, and better than many of the elder ones. She'd have to swing by with take out for their sometimes-ally, sometimes-nemesis later in the week.

* * *

Before dawn fully broke on Gotham's upper spires and grotesques, the weary heroes were able to pull in off of the streets, the situation fully under control of the police.

"I don't want to know what the Wingster found out," Dinah said, forestalling any after mission brief. "I caught that the situation was handled, and that's enough for this florist who needs to be in shop four hours from now."

Barbara just nodded. "Drew you a bath, if you want to go soak and snooze," she said, already having shut down her board. "You could call your clerk."

"Rhosyn covers for me too often when I am out of the city. No." Dinah walked over to her partner, leaning down long enough to kiss her cheek. "Go to bed, redhead; I'll either join you or I won't if that bath is too comfy."

Barbara nodded, and rolled down to their shared room. Some nights, it just worked out this way.

* * *

One of the perks of having a florist for a lover was the never ending variety of arrangements that came home with her. Barbara settled the latest one full of fiery red blooms with more subtle yellow ones in the center of the table. She'd work her boards later, but Dinah was due in soon, and was not going out unless called. For now, it was time to do a little self-care and relationship nurturing with a shared meal at the actual table.

It didn't matter that the meal was coming out of cartons from a restaurant; cooking took more time and effort than either woman often had to spare.

"Hi honey, I'm home," sounded from the door downstairs before the security system pinged with all the green lights of an approved person entering the building. Babs wheeled back to her gear, checked that nothing needed immediate attention, and then set her mind in gear for 'date', not 'work'.

"I know you want a nap, but… dinner?" Babs invited as Dinah got inside and out of her heels. The smile her partner lit up with was treasured, as was the searing kiss that followed.

* * *

Dinner had led to that nap Dinah wanted. Now, with both ladies waking in the bed, the blonde rolled to where she could prop on an arm and look at her lover intently.

"What a life we lead," she said, before leaning in to kiss Barbara lightly. "Dinner, sex, and violence all in one night."

"You haven't had any violence yet," Babs protested. In answer, Dinah just touched the faint traces of nails on her own shoulders, one eyebrow arching. Barbara started laughing, shaking her head. "You give as good as you get."

"Mm-hmm. Still, I'm wearing the coat tonight. I don't need whomever irritates me asking about my love life."

"Better wear your choker, then," Barbara told her before leaning in to kiss the mark on the side of Dinah's throat. More laughter exploded from them both, before they reluctantly moved to start the vigilante part of their night.

What they were wasn't apple-pie and white picket fences, but it was what they both wanted from life.


End file.
